It has been a year now and I have been sharing my thoughts and views through my posts. This is my way of expressing my experiences. There could be many ways of looking at a situation, different perspectives and different views. There is no conformity or validation that I seek. This post marks the completion of the first year of my journey.
There is a difference between a progress review and a progress report. Progress review is a reflection of the child's development in various areas such as; physical, cognitive, social and emotional and creative experiences. This development is assessed on the basis of certain given parameters which are age relevant. While reviewing the progress of a child in the form of a progress review, I feel a teacher is more open and non judgmental. She is also thinking of strategies which are required and which can help the child to grow in areas that need support.
A progress report to me on the other hand sounds like a report which is being prepared to communicate the child's performance in academic and other areas. A progress review is more holistic than a progress report. A progress report is based upon a child's performance in exams or tests. A progress review will dwell on the process of the gradual growth and development of a child.
What is the purpose of a progress review? It helps a teacher understand where has she reached with each child in her class, how can she help different children in her class and it is also a reflection the curriculum. Goals are made for each area of development, this is done at the beginning of the academic session. The goals for each quarter of the year vary in terms of the progression of children in the class. These goals help in planning the curriculum which in turn helps in preparing the weekly lesson plans. When lesson plans are implemented in the classrooms, teachers observe how children respond and learn. It is important to note down the observations related to all children in the class. These observations hugely support in reviewing the progress of children.
Writing progress reviews is a very intensive and challenging task for all the teaches. While working on the progress reviews some guidelines which have helped me and made my task more enjoyable are:
* Revisiting the goals for the term for which the progress review is being written. Going through the lesson plans and curriculum for that term. This gave me further clarity on where I had planned to reach with my children at the end of the term.
* Regular noting down observations pertaining to all the children.
* Understanding what an observation is - Observation is not a generalized statement about a child. It should be specific and should tell me something about the child. If I have observed an area that needs attention, I would also need to specify the strategies being used by me. In the progress review, similar suggestions and strategies should also be given to the parents. This will also reinforce the work being done in the class.
*How do I write and record my observations?
It helps to maintain an observation journal. At the end of my day with the children, sitting quietly for some time and recording observations has provided me meaningful insights. Observation journal should also have specific pages for all children in the class. while recording the observation; the date, context, theme or topic should also be recorded.
* Managing time - Work with children is demanding. In order to complete writing the progress reviews on time, effective time management is required. A schedule can be made keeping in mind the number of children in the class. Starting early is always helpful, time can be divided in such a way that one is able to give at least three days to each review. Focus should be only one or two areas each day. This way the stress would ease out, writing would be more meaningful. The three days when you are reviewing the progress of a child, observe him more consciously and closely. Try to relate your observations with the work in notebooks and other assignments.
*Language - The language should be simple, understandable, crisp, implication should be clear.
I hope these guidelines can be of some help. Happy review writing!
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